LOS ANGELES — The Yankees go after the big prey. They struck out on Cliff Lee, but they are in the thick of it for Dan Haren.

The Mets always seem to take the path of least resistance. That’s the Mets way.

It was fitting that before last night’s 6-1 win over the Dodgers with all the celebrities walking around this baseball shrine that David Wright was chatting it up near the batting cage with native New Yorker Gary Valentine. Valentine played Danny Heffernan, Doug’s cousin, on King of Queens. Evidently Kevin James, one of the biggest of Mets fans, wasn’t in town.

With the trade deadline looming, the Mets are not setting their sights on the top names but the second tier. That’s the Mets way. The name that continues to surface is Cubs’ lefty Ted Lilly.

Lilly makes sense for the Mets in a lot of ways.

“He’s a competitor,” said one NL talent scout at Dodger Stadium. “He’d be a good fit for the Mets.”

If the Mets can land Lilly, that means they can put Hisanori Takahashi back in the bullpen, where he belongs. First, though, the Cubs have to drop their price. Lilly’s velocity is down a bit, but he has pitched well recently.

The Mets scouted Lilly’s latest outing, Wednesday, a 4-3 loss, when he gave up only one run. That was actually a double scout for the Mets because Lilly faced off against Houston’s Brett Myers. Myers would be a strong addition to the Mets as well for several reasons, but it doesn’t appear the Astros will move Myers now.

The Cubs want to trade Lilly before his next start.

Mets management has to show the players they are serious about contending. “We could use some help,” is the way one Met put it.

By making a deal for Lilly the Mets would be making a statement. It’s not Cliff Lee, but it’s an upgrade. And Citi Field is his kind of park, said one Mets official.

The Mets broke out last night after going losing seven of eight on this trip. The Mets trail the Braves by 6½ games. They have a strong shot at the wild card.

It doesn’t take much to win in the NL. It’s not like it’s the AL East or anything. Everyone is in contention in the NL wild card, mediocre teams like the Giants, Padres, Dodgers, Phillies, Mets, Marlins, Rockies and Reds all are in this battle, not to mention the current division leaders, if any of them should slip.

So, basically, everything is wide open in the National League.

Adding Lilly would upgrade the pitching staff and take some pressure off the hitters, who broke out last night with Jason Bay coming alive just as Howard Johnson predicted on Thursday night. Bay’s bases-loaded double broke open a close game in the eighth.

What was the big change Bay made?

“I put the bat on my shoulder at the start,” he said. “It helped me with my timing, it got my hands and feet working together. It sounds simple stupid. It was a Little League drill almost, but that felt really good.”

It helped too that manager Jerry Manuel finally shook up his lineup.

He moved Carlos Beltran out of the cleanup spot. Beltran was given that spot back the moment he re-joined the Mets, which was a mistake by Manuel. This was the Mets first victory with Beltran as a starter and Luis Castillo, the practical joker, taped the lineup card to Beltran’s locker after the game as a souvenir.

Johan Santana, the most competitive Met, was the winner. Add one or two more competitive players and the Mets will be much better for it in the long run. The Mets finally played a terrific defensive game.

“It was a game of ESPN highlights,” pitching coach Dan Warthen said.

Warthen has done a good job with what he’s been given, but adding Lilly would give the Mets’ pitching depth.